Lace adjuster assembly including feedback assembly for use in visualizing and measuring athletic performance

ABSTRACT

A lace adjuster assembly ( 12 ) is adapted to selectively adjust a shoelace ( 11 ) of a shoe ( 10 ) of a user. The lace adjuster assembly ( 12 ) comprises a lace adjuster ( 14 ) and a feedback assembly ( 19 ). The lace adjuster ( 14 ) is adapted to selectively adjust the shoelace ( 11 ) of the shoe ( 10 ) of the user. The feedback assembly ( 19 ) is coupled to the lace adjuster ( 14 ). Additionally, the feedback assembly ( 19 ) is configured to perform one of (i) selectively measuring statistical data of the user during an athletic performance, and (ii) selectively capturing an image of the user during the athletic performance.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 15/301,946 filed on Oct. 4, 2016, and entitled “LACE ADJUSTERASSEMBLY INCLUDING FEEDBACK ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN VISULATIZING ANDMEASURING ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE. U.S. application Ser. No. 15/301,946 isa 371 of PCT/US2015/025763 filed on Apr. 14, 2015, and entitled “LACEADJUSTER ASSEMBLY INCLUDING FEEDBACK ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN VISULATIZINGAND MEASURING ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE. PCT Application Serial No:PCT/US2015/025763 is related to and claims priority on (i) U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/979,491 filed on Apr. 14, 2014, andentitled “LACE ADJUSTER”; (ii) U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/018,194 filed on Jun. 27, 2014, and entitled “SENSOR ASSEMBLY FOR USEIN MEASURING ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE”; and (iii) U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/043,822 filed on Aug. 29, 2014, and entitled“IMAGE ASSEMBLY AND SENSOR ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN VISUALIZING AND MEASURINGATHLETIC PERFORMANCE”. To the extent permissible, the contents of (i)U.S. application Ser. No. 15/301,946, (ii) PCT Application Serial No:PCT/US2015/025763, and (iii) U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos.61/979,491, 62/018,194, and 62/043,822 are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

Many athletes, professional or amateur, serious or casual, are veryinterested in visualizing and/or quantifying their athleticperformances. Thus, it is desired to provide a device that enables suchathletes to effectively visualize and/or gauge various aspects of theirathletic performance, which can be subsequently used as a means to viewunique perspectives of their athletic performance and/or to improvetheir athletic performance over time.

Additionally, it is often necessary to adjust, tighten, and untighten(or loosen) the shoelaces of a shoe. Further, it is further desired toinhibit the shoelaces from being a potential tripping hazard for theperson wearing the shoes. This can be especially true for an athleteduring an athletic performance, as problems with shoelaces being untied,too tight, or too loose, and/or becoming tripping hazards, can lead tosuboptimal performance and/or injury.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed toward a lace adjuster assembly thatis adapted to selectively adjust a shoelace of a shoe of a user. Invarious embodiments, the lace adjuster assembly comprises a laceadjuster and a feedback assembly. The lace adjuster is adapted toselectively adjust the shoelace of the shoe of the user. The feedbackassembly is coupled to the lace adjuster. Additionally, the feedbackassembly is configured to perform one of (i) selectively measuringstatistical data of the user during an athletic performance, and (ii)selectively capturing an image of the user during the athleticperformance.

In certain embodiments, the feedback assembly includes a sensor assemblyincluding a first sensor that senses a first performance characteristicof the user during the athletic performance; and a controller that iselectrically coupled to the first sensor, the controller including aprocessor. In such embodiments, the controller receives the firstperformance characteristic from the first sensor and generates a firststatistical data point that is based at least in part on the firstperformance characteristic. Additionally, the sensor assembly canfurther comprise a second sensor that senses a second performancecharacteristic of the user during the athletic performance. In some suchembodiments, the controller further receives the second performancecharacteristic from the second sensor and generates the firststatistical data point that is based at least in part on the firstperformance characteristic and the second performance characteristic.Additionally and/or alternatively, in other such embodiments, thecontroller further receives the second performance characteristic fromthe second sensor and generates a second statistical data point that isbased at least in part on the second performance characteristic.

In some embodiments, the first sensor senses one or more of a horizontalmovement, a vertical movement and an angular movement of the user duringthe athletic performance. Additionally, the first sensor can be one of atwo-axis accelerometer, a three-axis accelerometer and a rate sensor.

Additionally, in certain embodiments, the feedback assembly includes animage capturing assembly that captures an image of the user during theathletic performance. In some such embodiments, the lace adjusterincludes an adjuster body and an adjuster cover that is selectivelycoupled to the adjuster body, and the image capturing assembly iscoupled to the adjuster cover. In some such embodiments, the imagecapturing assembly includes an optical assembly and a capturing system,and the optical assembly focuses light onto the capturing system so thatthe capturing system can capture the image of the user. The image of theuser can be a still image and/or a video image.

In some embodiments, the image capturing assembly further includes astorage device for storing the image of the user, and a transmitter forwirelessly transmitting the image of the user to a remote image device.In such embodiments, the remote image device can include an imagedisplay screen that displays the image of the user.

Further, in certain embodiments, the feedback assembly is configured toperform both of (i) selectively measuring statistical data of the userduring an athletic performance, and (ii) selectively capturing an imageof the user during the athletic performance. In such embodiments, thefeedback assembly can include (i) a sensor assembly including a firstsensor that senses a first performance characteristic of the user duringthe athletic performance; and a controller that is electrically coupledto the first sensor, the controller including a processor, thecontroller receiving the first performance characteristic from the firstsensor and generating a first statistical data point that is based atleast in part on the first performance characteristic; and (ii) an imagecapturing assembly that captures an image of the user during theathletic performance.

In some applications, the shoelace includes a first end and a secondend. Additionally, the lace adjuster can include (i) a body assemblythat is selectively movable between an unlocked configuration and alocked configuration, wherein the shoelace is adjustable relative to thebody assembly when the body assembly is in the unlocked configuration,and wherein the shoelace is not adjustable relative to the body assemblywhen the body assembly is in the locked configuration; and (ii) a laceend retainer that is connected to the body assembly, the lace endretainer securely retaining the first end and the second end of theshoelace, the lace end retainer including a first receiver section thatreceives the first end of the shoelace, and a first retainer sectionthat securely retains the first end of the shoelace.

The present invention is further directed toward a shoe comprising ashoelace and the lace adjuster assembly as described above that iscoupled to the shoelace to selectively adjust the shoelace.

Additionally, the present invention is also directed toward a feedbackassembly for coupling to a device for selectively measuring statisticaldata of a user during an athletic performance and selectively capturingan image of the user during the athletic performance, the feedbackassembly comprising: (i) a sensor assembly including a first sensor thatsenses a first performance characteristic of the user during theathletic performance; and a controller that is electrically coupled tothe first sensor, the controller including a processor, the controllerreceiving the first performance characteristic from the first sensor andgenerating a first statistical data point that is based at least in parton the first performance characteristic; and (ii) an image capturingassembly that captures an image of the user during the athleticperformance.

Further, the present invention is directed toward a lace adjusterassembly for selectively adjusting and securing a shoelace of a shoe,the shoelace including a first end and a second end, the lace adjusterassembly comprising: (i) a body assembly that is selectively movablebetween an unlocked configuration and a locked configuration, whereinthe shoelace is adjustable relative to the body assembly when the bodyassembly is in the unlocked configuration, and wherein the shoelace isnot adjustable relative to the body assembly when the body assembly isin the locked configuration; and (ii) a lace end retainer that isconnected to the body assembly, the lace end retainer securely retainingthe first end of the shoelace, the lace end retainer including a firstreceiver section that receives the first end of the shoelace, and afirst retainer section that securely retains the first end of theshoelace.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself,both as to its structure and its operation, will be best understood fromthe accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdescription, in which similar reference characters refer to similarparts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe with a shoelace, and anembodiment of a lace adjuster assembly having features of the presentinvention, the lace adjuster assembly including a lace adjuster, and asensor assembly and an image capturing assembly that are coupled to thelace adjuster;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the lace adjusterillustrated in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 2B is a front view of the lace adjuster illustrated in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C is a side view of the lace adjuster illustrated in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2D is a top view of the lace adjuster illustrated in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2E is a sectional view of the lace adjuster taken on line E-E inFIG. 2B;

FIG. 2F is a sectional view of the lace adjuster taken on line F-F inFIG. 2C;

FIG. 2G is a perspective view of a portion of the lace adjusterillustrated in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic illustration of an embodiment of thesensor assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic illustration of another embodiment ofthe sensor assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic illustration of an embodiment of theimage capturing assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of another embodiment of a lace adjusterassembly having features of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a front view of the lace adjuster assembly illustrated inFIG. 6A, the lace adjuster assembly including a lace adjuster that is inan unlocked configuration;

FIG. 6C is a front view of the lace adjuster assembly illustrated inFIG. 6A, the lace adjuster being in a locked configuration;

FIG. 6D is a front view of the lace adjuster assembly illustrated inFIG. 6A, the lace adjuster being in a partially locked configuration;

FIG. 6E is a side view of the lace adjuster assembly illustrated in FIG.6A;

FIG. 6F is a back view of the lace adjuster assembly illustrated in FIG.6A;

FIG. 6G is an exploded view of the lace adjuster assembly illustrated inFIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is a front perspective view of still another embodiment of alace adjuster assembly having features of the present invention, thelace adjuster assembly including a lace adjuster that is in the unlockedconfiguration;

FIG. 7B is a back perspective view of the lace adjuster assemblyillustrated in FIG. 7A, the lace adjuster being in the unlockedconfiguration;

FIG. 7C is a front perspective view of the lace adjuster assemblyillustrated in FIG. 7A, the lace adjuster being in the lockedconfiguration; and

FIG. 7D is a partially exploded view of the lace adjuster assemblyillustrated in FIG. 7A.

DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe 10 with a shoelace 11, and anembodiment of a lace adjuster assembly 12 having features of the presentinvention. The design of the lace adjuster assembly 12 can be varied asdesired. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the laceadjuster assembly 12 includes a device 14, i.e. a lace adjuster, and asensor assembly 16 and an image capturing assembly 18 (also referred toherein simply as an “image assembly”) having features of the presentinvention that are coupled to the lace adjuster 14. Alternatively, incertain non-exclusive alternative embodiments, the lace adjusterassembly 12 can be designed without the sensor assembly 16 and/orwithout the image assembly 18.

In some instances, the sensor assembly 16 and the image assembly 18 canbe referred to individually and/or collectively as a “feedback assembly”19. In different embodiments, as noted above, the feedback assembly 19,i.e. the sensor assembly 16 and/or the image assembly 18 can be coupledto the lace adjuster 14. For example, in some embodiments, the laceadjuster 14 can include an adjuster body assembly 220 (illustrated moreclearly in FIG. 2A) and an adjuster cover 226 (illustrated more clearlyin FIG. 2A) that is coupled to the adjuster body assembly 220. In onesuch embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the sensor assembly 16 and theimage assembly 18 can be coupled to the adjuster cover 226.Alternatively, in other such embodiments, the sensor assembly 16 and/orthe image assembly 18 can be coupled to another portion of the laceadjuster 14. For example, the sensor assembly 16 and/or the imageassembly 18 can be coupled to the adjuster body assembly 220 and/orpositioned within the adjuster body assembly 220.

As an overview, the sensor assembly 16 can be uniquely designed toprovide an athlete (also referred to herein generally as a “user”) whois using the sensor assembly 16, i.e. in conjunction with the laceadjuster 14, with statistical data that enables the athlete toeffectively gauge various aspects of their athletic performance. Indifferent embodiments, the sensor assembly 16 can provide statisticaldata that relates to substantially horizontal movements of the athlete,substantially vertical movements of the athlete, angular and/orrotational movements of the athlete, and/or energy and forceexpenditures by the athlete during the performance of an athleticactivity. For example, in certain embodiments, the sensor assembly 16can provide the athlete with statistical data related to number of stepstaken, total distance traveled, distance traveled per step (i.e. stridelength), speed of travel, horizontal burst (i.e. sudden accelerationfrom an average rate of speed), number of jumps, height of jumps,vertical burst (e.g., take-off velocity or acceleration for a jump),number of accelerations (relating to horizontal burst and/or verticalburst), angular, twisting or rotational movements of the athlete (and/orthe speed of such movements), energy expended during athleticperformance (e.g., in kcal), and/or force expended during athleticperformance (e.g., in psi, kpi, or other force measurements).Additionally, the sensor assembly 16 can further provide the athletewith other desired statistical data.

Moreover, the statistical data that is provided by the sensor assembly16 can be subsequently utilized by the athlete to tailor their trainingprograms and schedules with the goal of ultimately improving theirathletic performance.

Additionally and/or alternatively, in certain embodiments orapplications, the sensor assembly 16 can further include Bluetoothand/or GPS capabilities. For example, in some such embodiments, thesensor assembly 16 can include one or more GPS sensors for providingaccurate and precise locational information that can be used by theindividual wearing the lace adjuster 14. In some such applications, theGPS sensors can be utilized for purposes of navigation so that theindividual wearing the lace adjuster 14 always knows where he or she is,as well as where he or she needs to go to reach any desired destination.In such uses, the GPS sensors can be utilized to inhibit the personwearing the lace adjuster 14 from getting lost and/or to enable thewearer to follow a prescribed trail, e.g., during an adventure raceand/or when exploring the wilderness.

Further, in other such applications, the GPS sensors can offer a senseof security for someone, e.g., a parent or guardian, who is charged withcare for and/or monitoring of the individual wearing the lace adjuster14. In such applications, the locational information from the GPSsensors can be wirelessly transmitted to a remote receiver so that theparent or guardian can always have the accurate and precise locationalinformation of the person wearing the lace adjuster 14. With suchapplications, the parent or guardian can help assist the wearer fromgetting lost and/or inhibit the wearer from going to undesired orinappropriate locations.

Moreover, as provided herein, it should be appreciated that anyinformation from the sensor assembly 16, including information from anyof the one or more sensors 456 (illustrated in FIG. 4 ), can bedownloaded into a remote device 470 (illustrated in FIG. 4 ) via a USBport 471 (illustrated in FIG. 4 ) or other suitable connection. Withsuch capabilities, the user can view any associated data that wasgenerated during the athletic activity from any of the sensors 456 ofthe sensor assembly 16. For example, the user can download informationinto the remote device 470 that was generated using GPS sensors, so theuser can precisely see the specific path or trail that was followed,e.g., on foot, by bicycle, etc.

Further, the image assembly 18 can be uniquely designed and/orpositioned to provide the athlete who is using the image assembly 18,i.e. in conjunction with the lace adjuster 14, with unique viewpointsfrom which the athlete is able to visualize and/or evaluate variousaspects of their athletic performance. For example, in differentembodiments, depending upon the specific positioning and orientation ofthe image assembly 18 during use, the athlete is able to effectivelycapture, review and analyze images (e.g., still images and/or videoimages) of themselves demonstrating unique perspectives and angles oftheir athletic performance. With such design, the athlete may be able togather unique insights into their athletic performance, which would nototherwise be available from remote positioning of an image assembly.

For example, the image assembly 18 can provide low resolution or highresolution images or video (and sound). The images or video can betransmitted via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or a USB port. In certain embodiments,the images or video can be transmitted for a TV broadcast during aperformance or game. The image assembly 18 can be controlled by a buttonon the lace adjuster 14 or it can be remotely controlled. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 , the image assembly 18 is secured toand/or integrated into a lace adjuster 14. The image, video and soundcan be of the person wearing the image assembly 18 and his surroundingenvironment.

In certain embodiments, the image assembly 18 can be directed in agenerally upward or outward direction from the shoe 10 to capture thedesired images or video. Additionally, in certain embodiments, thedirection of where the image assembly 18 is directed can be controlledand/or adjusted by the user, and/or can be controlled remotely byanother individual. Alternatively, the image assembly 18 can be directedin a different direction.

Moreover, as with the sensor assembly 16, it should be appreciated thatany information from the image assembly 18 can also be downloaded intothe remote device 470 via the USB port 471 or other suitable connection.With such design, the user can view any images from the athleticactivity at his or her convenience after completion of the athleticactivity.

Further, in certain embodiments, the lace adjuster 14 can be used toeasily and quickly tighten or loosen the shoelace 11 of the shoe 10, theshoelace 11 including a first end (not illustrated) and a second end(not illustrated). Additionally, in some embodiments, the lace adjuster14 can include a lace end retainer 225 (illustrated, for example, inFIG. 2A) that can be utilized to selectively receive and retain thefirst end and/or the second end of the shoelace 11 so as to inhibit theends of the shoelace 11 from being potential tripping hazards for theperson wearing the shoe 10.

The lace adjuster 14 can have any suitable design. For example, in oneembodiment, the lace adjuster 14 can be designed to include variousfeatures and limitations such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,181,320 B2issued on May 22, 2012, and entitled “LACE ADJUSTER”. Additionallyand/or alternatively, the lace adjuster 14 can be designed to includevarious features and limitations such as described in U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 61/979,491 filed on Apr. 14, 2014, and entitled“LACE ADJUSTER”. Still additionally and/or alternatively, the laceadjuster 14 can be designed to include various features and limitationssuch as described in International Patent Application Serial No.PCT/US13/64008 filed on Oct. 9, 2013, and entitled “LACE ADJUSTER WITHINTERCHANGEABLE COVERS”. As far as permitted, the contents of U.S. Pat.No. 8,181,320 B2, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/979,491, andInternational Patent Application Serial No. PCT/US13/64008 areincorporated herein by reference.

FIGS. 2A-2G are alternative views and configurations of an embodiment ofa lace adjuster 214 having features of the present invention. Inparticular, FIG. 2A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the laceadjuster 214 having features of the present invention; FIG. 2B is afront view of the lace adjuster 214 illustrated in FIG. 2A; FIG. 2C is aside view of the lace adjuster 214 illustrated in FIG. 2A; FIG. 2D is atop view of the lace adjuster 214 illustrated in FIG. 2A; FIG. 2E is asectional view of the lace adjuster 214 taken on line E-E in FIG. 2B;FIG. 2F is a sectional view of the lace adjuster 214 taken on line F-Fin FIG. 2C; and FIG. 2G is a perspective view of a portion of the laceadjuster illustrated in FIG. 2A.

The size and design of the lace adjuster 214 can be varied. Initiallyreferring to FIG. 2A, in this embodiment, the lace adjuster 214comprises an adjuster body assembly 220 (also referred to herein simplyas a “body assembly”) including an inner frame 221 (also sometimesreferred to as “a first body member”) and an outer frame 222 (alsosometimes referred to as “a second body member”), a resilient member 223(illustrated in FIG. 2E), a guide system 224, a lace end retainer 225,and an adjuster cover 226. The design and positioning of each of thecomponents of the lace adjuster 214 can be varied pursuant to theteachings provided herein. Additionally, the lace adjuster 214 can bedesigned without one or more of the components as listed above. Forexample, the lace adjuster 214 can be designed without the guide system224 and/or without the adjuster cover 226.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the sensor assembly 16 and the imageassembly 18 can be coupled to the adjuster cover 226 (as shown in FIG. 1). Alternatively, as noted above, in other embodiments, the sensorassembly 16 and/or the image assembly 18 can be coupled to anotherportion of the lace adjuster 214, e.g., to the inner frame 221 and/orthe outer frame 222 of the body assembly 220, and/or can be positionedand/or secured within the body assembly 220.

Further, it should be appreciated that the alternative reference to theinner frame 221 as the “first body member” and the outer frame 222 asthe “second body member” is merely for reasons of convenience, andeither frame 221, 222 can be referred to as the “first body member” orthe “second body member”.

As described in detail herein below, the first body member, i.e. theinner frame 221, is resiliently coupled to the second body member, i.e.the outer frame 222. Further, in some embodiments, the adjuster bodyassembly 220 can be selectively moved between a locked configuration(illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2F) and an unlocked configuration (notillustrated) in order to enable the proper functioning of the laceadjuster 214. For example, in certain embodiments, the shoelace 11(illustrated in FIG. 1 ) is adjustable relative to the adjuster bodyassembly 220 when the adjuster body assembly 220 is in the unlockedconfiguration, and the shoelace 11 is not adjustable relative to theadjuster body assembly 220 when the adjuster body assembly 220 is in thelocked configuration.

In particular, in certain embodiments, the inner frame 221 and the outerframe 222 can be moved relative to one another between the lockedconfiguration and the unlocked configuration. More specifically, in theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A, the inner frame 221 fits partlywithin and moves up and down (i.e. when the lace adjuster 214 isoriented vertically) relative to the outer frame 222 as the inner frame221 and the outer frame 222 move between the locked configuration andthe unlocked configuration. Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, theinner frame 221 is positioned substantially above the outer frame 222.Alternatively, the inner frame 221 can be positioned substantiallybeneath the outer frame 222 without altering the general functioning ofthe lace adjuster 214 of the present invention.

The movement of the inner frame 221 and the outer frame 222 relative toone another between the locked configuration and the unlockedconfiguration is substantially similar to the movement of an inner frameand an outer frame of a somewhat comparable lace adjuster relative toone another between a locked configuration and an unlocked configurationas illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,181,320 issued on May22, 2012, entitled “LACE ADJUSTER”. As far as is permitted, the contentsof U.S. Pat. No. 8,181,320 are incorporated herein by reference.

The design and positioning of the inner frame 221 can be varieddepending on the requirements of the lace adjuster 214. In thisembodiment, the inner frame 221 includes: (i) a top side 227(illustrated in FIG. 2E) having a member receiver 228 (illustrated inFIG. 2E); (ii) a bottom side 229 (illustrated in FIG. 2E) having amember aperture 230 (illustrated in FIG. 2E); (iii) a front side 231having a first inner frame aperture 234A and a spaced apart second innerframe aperture 234B; (iv) a back side 232 having a third inner frameaperture 234C (illustrated in FIG. 2B) and a spaced apart fourth innerframe aperture 234D (illustrated in FIG. 2B); and (v) a plurality ofguide slots 236. It should be noted that the use of the terms firstthrough fourth for the inner frame apertures 234A-234D is done forconvenience only, and that any of the inner frame apertures 234A-234Dcan be labeled as the “first inner frame aperture”, the “second innerframe aperture”, the “third inner frame aperture”, and/or the “fourthinner frame aperture”.

As shown, in some embodiments, the top side 227 can be substantiallysemi-circular disc-shaped, with a front edge 227A (illustrated moreclearly in FIG. 2B) that is substantially semi-circular shaped and aback edge 227B (illustrated in FIG. 2C) that can be substantially flator slightly curved, wherein the back edge 227B is designed to face theshoe 10 (illustrated in FIG. 1 ) so as to allow the lace adjuster 214 torest stably against the shoe 10. Additionally, as illustrated, the topside 227 has a similar shape as the bottom side 229 of the inner frame221, with the top side 227 being slightly larger than the bottom side229. Alternatively, the top side 227, e.g., the front edge 227A and theback edge 227B, can have a different design and/or shape than thatillustrated in the Figures. For example, the top side 227 can besubstantially circular disc-shaped, substantially square disc-shaped, orsubstantially rectangle disc-shaped.

The member receiver 228 is adapted to receive and retain a portion ofthe resilient member 223 in order to secure the resilient member 223 tothe inner frame 221. In one embodiment, the member receiver 228 ispositioned substantially centrally on the surface of the top side 227 ofthe inner frame 221 that faces the outer frame 222. Alternatively, themember receiver 228 can be positioned in a different manner relative tothe top side 227 of the inner frame 221.

Additionally, as shown in this embodiment, the bottom side 229 can besubstantially semi-circular disc-shaped, with a front edge 229A(illustrated in FIG. 2E) that is substantially semi-circular shaped anda back edge 229B (illustrated in FIG. 2E) that can be substantially flator slightly curved, wherein the back edge 229B is designed to face theshoe 10 so as to allow the lace adjuster 214 to rest stably against theshoe 10. Additionally, as illustrated, the bottom side 229 has a similarshape as the top side 227 of the inner frame 221, with the bottom side229 being slightly smaller than the top side 227. Alternatively, thebottom side 229, e.g., the front edge 229A and the back edge 229B, canhave a different design and/or shape than that illustrated in theFigures. For example, the bottom side 229 can be substantially circulardisc-shaped, substantially square disc-shaped, or substantiallyrectangle disc-shaped.

The member aperture 230 is adapted to receive the resilient member 223.Additionally, the member aperture 230 allows the resilient member 223 toextend between the top side 227 of the inner frame 221 and the outerframe 222. In one embodiment, the member aperture 230 is positionedsubstantially centrally on the bottom side 229 of the inner frame 221and extends fully through the bottom side 229 of the inner frame 221.Alternatively, the member aperture 230 can be positioned in a differentmanner relative to the bottom side 229 of the inner frame 221.

To substantially correspond with the shape of the front edge 227A of thetop side 227 and the front edge 229A of the bottom side 229, the frontside 231 of the inner frame 221 is substantially curved in shape.Additionally, the front side 231 cantilevers upward away from theperimeter of the front edge 229A of the bottom side 229, and the frontside 231 cantilevers downward away from near the perimeter of the frontedge 227A of the top side 227. Alternatively, the front side 231 can bedesigned with a different shape and/or to extend away from the bottomside 229 and the top side 227 in a different manner and/or from adifferent location.

As noted above, the front side 231 of the inner frame 221 includes thefirst inner frame aperture 234A and the spaced apart second inner frameaperture 234B. Alternatively, the front side 231 of the inner frame 221can be designed to include more than two or less than two inner frameapertures.

To substantially correspond with the shape of the back edge 227B of thetop side 227 and the back edge 229B of the bottom side 229, the backside 232 of the inner frame 221 can be substantially flat or slightlycurved. Additionally, the back side 232 cantilevers upward away from theperimeter of the back edge 229B of the bottom side 229, and the backside 232 cantilevers downward away from near the perimeter of the backedge 227B of the top side 227. Alternatively, the back side 232 can bedesigned with a different shape and/or to extend away from the bottomside 229 and the top side 227 in a different manner and/or from adifferent location.

As noted above, the back side 232 of the inner frame 221 includes thethird inner frame aperture 234C and the spaced apart fourth inner frameaperture 234D. Alternatively, the back side 232 of the inner frame 221can be designed to include more than two or less than two inner frameapertures.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2F, the plurality of guideslots 236 are positioned spaced apart around an outer surface 231A ofthe front side 231 of the inner frame 221. As described in greaterdetail herein below, the guide slots 236 form a portion of the guidesystem 224. The design and positioning of the guide slots 236 can bevaried to suit the requirements of the lace adjuster 214. In thisembodiment, the inner frame 221 includes three spaced apart guide slots236 (only two are visible in FIG. 2A) that are designed to receive aportion of the outer frame 222, to help in guiding the desired relativemovement between the inner frame 221 and the outer frame 222, i.e.between the locked configuration and the unlocked configuration, and tolimit any undesired relative movement between the inner frame 221 andthe outer frame 222, i.e. in directions other than is necessary formovement between the locked configuration and the unlockedconfiguration. In alternative embodiments, the guide slots 236 can besubstantially U-shaped, substantially V-shaped or some other shape.Still alternatively, the inner frame 221 can be designed with more thanthree or less than three guide slots 236.

In this embodiment, the outer frame 222 is open along the top and, assuch, is designed to receive at least a portion of the inner frame 221and to allow the inner frame 221 to move up and down over a movementrange relative to the outer frame 222, i.e. such that the inner frame221 and the outer frame 222 can move between the locked configurationand the unlocked configuration. The design and positioning of the outerframe 222 can be varied depending on the requirements of the laceadjuster 214. In this embodiment, the outer frame 222 includes: (i) afront side 237 having a first outer frame aperture 240A and a spacedapart second outer frame aperture 240B; (ii) a back side 238 having athird outer frame aperture 240C (illustrated in FIG. 2G) and a spacedapart fourth outer frame aperture 240D (illustrated in FIG. 2G); (iii) abottom side 242 having a member receiver 243 (illustrated in FIG. 2E);and (iv) a plurality of guide tabs 244. It should be noted that the useof the terms first through fourth for the outer frame apertures240A-240D is done for convenience only, and that any of the outer frameapertures 240A-240D can be labeled as the “first outer frame aperture”,the “second outer frame aperture”, the “third outer frame aperture”,and/or the “fourth outer frame aperture”.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2F, the outer frame 222 is positionedsubstantially beneath the inner frame 221. Alternatively, the outerframe 222 can be positioned substantially above the inner frame 221without altering the general functioning of the lace adjuster 214 of thepresent invention.

The front side 237 of the outer frame 222 is substantially curved inshape, and it cantilevers upward away from the perimeter of a portion ofthe bottom side 242. Alternatively, the front side 237 can be designedwith a different shape and/or to extend away from the bottom side 242 ina different manner and/or from a different location.

Additionally, as noted above, the front side 237 of the outer frame 222includes the first outer frame aperture 240A and the spaced apart secondouter frame aperture 240B. Alternatively, the front side 237 of theouter frame 222 can be designed to include more than two or less thantwo outer frame apertures.

The back side 238 of the outer frame 222 can be substantially flat orslightly curved, and it cantilevers upward away from the perimeter of aportion of the bottom side 242. Alternatively, the back side 238 can bedesigned with a different shape and/or to extend away from the bottomside 242 in a different manner and/or from a different location.

Additionally, as noted above, the back side 238 of the outer frame 222includes the third outer frame aperture 240C and the spaced apart fourthouter frame aperture 240D. Alternatively, the back side 238 of the outerframe 222 can be designed to include more than two or less than twoouter frame apertures.

The bottom side 242 is substantially semi-circular disc-shaped, with afront edge 242A (illustrated in FIG. 2B) that is substantiallysemi-circular shaped and a back edge 242B (illustrated in FIG. 2C) thatis substantially flat or slightly curved, wherein the back edge 242B isdesigned to face the shoe 10 so as to allow the lace adjuster 214 torest stably against the shoe 10. As illustrated, the bottom side 242 hasa similar shape as the bottom side 229 of the inner frame 221, with thebottom side 242 of the outer frame 222 being slightly larger than thebottom side 229 of the inner frame 221, so as to allow the inner frame221 to move within and relative to the outer frame 222. Alternatively,the bottom side 242 can be designed with a different shape. For example,the bottom side 242 can be substantially circular disc-shaped,substantially square disc-shaped, or substantially rectangledisc-shaped.

The member receiver 243 is adapted to receive and retain a portion ofthe resilient member 223 in order to secure the resilient member 223 tothe outer frame 222. In one embodiment, the member receiver 243 ispositioned substantially centrally on the surface of the bottom side 242of the outer frame 222 that faces the inner frame 221. Alternatively,the member receiver 243 can be positioned in a different manner relativeto the bottom side 242 of the outer frame 222.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2G, the plurality of guidetabs 244 are positioned spaced apart around an inner surface 237A of thefront side 237 of the outer frame 222. As provided in greater detailherein below, the guide tabs 244 form a portion of the guide system 224.The design and positioning of the guide tabs 244 can be varied to suitthe requirements of the lace adjuster 214. In this embodiment, the outerframe 222 includes three spaced apart guide tabs 244 (only two arevisible in FIG. 2A) that are designed to be positioned within theplurality of guide slots 236 of the inner frame 221 and to help inguiding the movement of the inner frame 221 relative to the outer frame222, i.e. between the locked configuration and the unlockedconfiguration. In alternative embodiments, the guide tabs 244 can besubstantially U-shaped, substantially V-shaped or some other shape.Alternatively, the outer frame 222 can be designed with more than threeor less than three guide tabs 244.

As noted above, the inner frame 221 and the outer frame 222 are designedto move relative to each other between the locked configuration and theunlocked configuration. In the unlocked configuration, the inner frameapertures 234A-234D are substantially aligned with and concentric withthe outer frame apertures 240A-240D. More particularly, in the unlockedconfiguration, the inner frame 221 is positioned substantially withinthe outer frame 222, the first inner frame aperture 234A issubstantially aligned with and concentric with the first outer frameaperture 240A, the second inner frame aperture 234B is substantiallyaligned with and concentric with the second outer frame aperture 240B,the third inner frame aperture 234C is substantially aligned with andconcentric with the third outer frame aperture 240C, and the fourthinner frame aperture 234D is substantially aligned with and concentricwith the fourth outer frame aperture 240D. In the locked configuration,the inner frame 221 extends somewhat away from the outer frame 222, andthe inner frame apertures 234A-234D are positioned so that they are notaligned with or concentric with the outer frame apertures 240A-240D.

The design of the resilient member 223 can be varied depending on therequirements of the lace adjuster 214. For example, in the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 2A-2G, the resilient member 223 is a spring.Alternatively, the resilient member 223 can be another piece ofresilient material. The resilient member 223 is secured to the innerframe 221 and the outer frame 222 and extends between the inner frame221 and the outer frame 222. More particularly, the resilient member 223is secured to the inner frame 221 via the member receiver 228, and theresilient member 223 is secured to the outer frame 222 via the memberreceiver 243. In this embodiment, the resilient member 223 urges theinner frame 221 up and/or away relative to the outer frame 222. Statedin another manner, the resilient member 223 biases the inner frame 221and the outer frame 222 toward the locked configuration. Alternatively,the resilient member 223 can be designed to urge the inner frame 221within the outer frame 222. In such alternative embodiment, the laceadjuster 214 would further require a locking mechanism (not illustrated)that would maintain the inner frame 221 and the outer frame 222 in thelocked configuration. In these alternative embodiments, the resilientmember 223 is either extended or compressed as the inner frame 221 andthe outer frame 222 are moved between the locked configuration and theunlocked configuration.

The guide system 224 guides the movement of the inner frame 221 (e.g.,up and down when the lace adjuster 214 is oriented vertically) relativeto the outer frame 222. The design of the guide system 224 can be variedto suit the requirements of the lace adjuster 214. In the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 2A-2G, the guide system 224 includes the pluralityof guide slots 236 and the plurality of guide tabs 244. Each of theplurality of guide slots 236 is designed and positioned to receive oneof the plurality of guide tabs 244. As discussed above, the guide slots236 can be substantially U-shaped, substantially V-shaped, or some othershape slots along the outer surface 231A of the front side 231 of theinner frame 221. Similarly, the guide tabs 244 can be substantiallyU-shaped, substantially V-shaped, or some other shape tabs along theinner surface 237A of the front side 237 of the outer frame 222.Alternatively, the inner frame 221 can be designed with more than threeor less than three guide slots 236, and the outer frame 222 can bedesigned with more than three or less than three guide tabs 244. Stillalternatively, the lace adjuster 214 can be designed wherein the innerframe 221 includes a plurality of guide tabs and the outer frame 222includes a plurality of guide slots. Yet alternatively, the guide system224 can have a different design that guides the relative movementbetween the inner frame 221 and the outer frame 222 in a differentmanner.

The lace end retainer 225 is designed to securely retain the first endand/or the second end of the shoelace 11. Additionally, as shown, thelace end retainer 225 is connected to the body assembly 220. Inparticular, the lace end retainer 225 can be coupled to the bodyassembly 220, i.e. to one or both of the inner frame 221 and the outerframe 222, and/or the lace end retainer 225 can be integrally formedwith the body assembly 220. For example, as illustrated, the lace endretainer 225 can be included as part of and/or be integrally formed withthe outer frame 222. More specifically, as illustrated in thisembodiment, the lace end retainer 225 can extend in a generally downwarddirection away from the bottom side 242 of the outer frame 222, and thelace end retainer 225 can extend somewhat outwardly away from the frontside 237 of the outer frame 222. Alternatively, the lace end retainer225 can be included as part of and/or be integrally formed with theinner frame 221. Still alternatively, the lace end retainer 225 can beseparately formed and can be coupled to the outer frame 222 and/or theinner frame 221.

The design of the lace end retainer 225 can be varied to suit thespecific requirements of the lace adjuster 214, the shoelace 11 and/orthe shoe 10. In some embodiments, the lace end retainer 225 can includeone or more receiver sections 246 that receive the first end and/or thesecond end of the shoelace 11; and one or more retainer sections 248that securely retain the first end and/or the second end of the shoelace11. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2G, the laceend retainer 225 includes one substantially centrally positionedreceiver section 246, and four retainer sections 248, with two retainersections 248 positioned on either side of the receiver section 246.Additionally, in this embodiment, the receiver section 246 and theretainer sections 248 are formed within a single common retaineraperture 250. Alternatively, each of the one or more receiver sections246 and the one or more retainer sections 248 can be spaced apart fromone another, or combined with one another and/or be formed within one ormore retainer apertures 250 in any suitable manner. For example, in onenon-exclusive alternative embodiment, the lace end retainer 225 can beformed with a first receiver section and a first retainer section thatare formed within a first retainer aperture for purposes of receivingand retaining the first end of the shoelace 11; and a second receiversection and a second retainer section that are formed within a secondretainer aperture for purposes of receiving and retaining the second endof the shoelace 11. In another non-exclusive alternative embodiment, thelace end retainer 225 can include a first receiver section for receivingthe first end of the shoelace, a second receiver section for receivingthe second end of the shoelace 11, and a single retainer section forsecurely retaining each of the first end and the second end of theshoelace 11.

As noted above, the receiver section 246 is adapted to receive the firstend and/or the second end of the shoelace 11. Additionally, in thisembodiment, the receiver section 246 is substantially circular-shapedand is substantially centrally positioned below the front side 237 ofthe outer frame 222. Alternatively, the receiver section 246 can have adifferent shape and/or the receiver section 246 can be positioned in adifferent manner. Still alternatively, the lace end retainer 225 caninclude more than one receiver section 246.

Additionally, as noted above, the retainer sections 248 are adapted tosecurely retain the first end and/or the second end of the shoelace 11.Further, as noted, two retainer sections 248 are positioned on eitherside of the receiver section 246, with the receiver section 246 and theretainer sections 248 being formed within the single common retaineraperture 250. In this embodiment, each of the retainer sections 248 aresubstantially slot-shaped, with the retainer sections 248 positioneddirectly adjacent to the receiver section 246 being slightly larger thanthe retainer sections 248 that are positioned farther away from thereceiver section 246. With this design, the lace end retainer 225 isable to effectively and securely retain different sizes, e.g., differentthicknesses, of shoelaces. Alternatively, the retainer sections 248 canhave different shapes, different sizes, and/or be positioned in adifferent manner than as shown in the Figures. Still alternatively, thelace end retainer 225 can include more than four or less than fourretainer sections 248.

During use of the lace adjuster 214, after the shoelace 11 has beeneffectively threaded through the inner frame apertures 234A-234D and theouter frame apertures 240A-240D, (i) the first end of the shoelace 11can be threaded into the receiver section 246 of the lace end retainer225 and then moved to the side so as to be securely retained within oneof the retainer sections 248 (i.e. an appropriately sized retainersection 248); and (ii) the second end of the shoelace 11 can be threadedinto the receiver section 246 of the lace end retainer 225 and then alsomoved to the side so as to be securely retained within one of theretainer sections 248 (i.e. an appropriately sized retainer section248). With the ends of the shoelace 11 thus securely retained within oneor more of the retainer sections 248, a potential tripping hazard forthe wearer of the shoe 10 can be effectively inhibited. It should beappreciated that each of the first end and the second end of theshoelace 11 can be retained within the same or different retainersections 248 of the lace end retainer 225.

As illustrated in this embodiment, the adjuster cover 226 can beselectively secured to and/or coupled to the top side 227 of the innerframe 221. In alternative embodiments, the adjuster cover 226 can beselectively secured and/or coupled to the top side 227 of the innerframe 221 in any suitable manner. For example, the inner frame 221 caninclude a plurality of spaced apart cover apertures (not illustrated),and the adjuster cover 226 can include a plurality of spaced apart coverpins (not illustrated) that are positioned to be selectively received bythe cover apertures to secure and/or couple the adjuster cover 226 tothe inner frame 221. Alternatively, the inner frame 221 can include aplurality of spaced apart cover pins and the adjuster cover 226 caninclude a plurality of spaced apart cover apertures that are positionedto selectively receive the cover pins. Still alternatively, each of theinner frame 221 and the adjuster cover 226 can include hook and loopmaterial, e.g., Velcro, magnets, two-sided tape, lip/groovecombinations, bumps/indentations combinations, or other suitable devicesso that the adjuster cover 226 can be effectively secured to and/orcoupled to the inner frame 221. Potential means of attachment betweenthe adjuster cover 226 and the inner frame 221 are described in greaterdetail in International Patent Application Serial No. PCT/US13/64008filed on Oct. 9, 2013, entitled “LACE ADJUSTER WITH INTERCHANGEABLECOVERS”. As far as is permitted, the contents of International PatentApplication Serial No. PCT/US13/64008 are incorporated herein byreference.

Yet alternatively, the design and positioning of the adjuster cover 226can be varied depending on the requirements of the lace adjuster 214.For example, in certain embodiments, the adjuster cover 226 can besecured to and/or coupled to the outer frame 222 in any suitable manner.

As illustrated, the adjuster cover 226 is substantially semi-circulardisc-shaped, very similar to the shape of the top side 227 of the innerframe 221. Alternatively, the adjuster cover 226 can be designed with adifferent shape. For example, the adjuster cover 226 can besubstantially circular disc-shaped, substantially square disc-shaped, orsubstantially rectangle disc-shaped. Additionally, the adjuster cover226 can include a design 252, e.g., a sports logo as shown in thisembodiment, on a top surface 226T of the adjuster cover 226 that enablesthe lace adjuster 214 to have a more interesting appearance. Moreover,in this embodiment, with the adjuster cover 226 being designed to beselectively attached to the inner frame 221, different adjuster covers226 with alternative designs 252 can be quickly and easily attached tothe rest of the lace adjuster 214.

As provided above, FIG. 2G is a perspective view of a portion of thelace adjuster 214 illustrated in FIG. 2A. In particular, FIG. 2G is aperspective view of the outer frame 222 of the lace adjuster 214. Itshould be appreciated that without the inner frame 221 being included inFIG. 2G, certain design features and aspects of this embodiment of theouter frame 222 can be more clearly illustrated. For example, FIG. 2Gmore clearly illustrates the third outer frame aperture 240C and thefourth outer frame aperture 240D. Additionally, FIG. 2G more clearlyillustrates the overall shape of the front side 237 and the back side238 of the outer frame 222.

In summary, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2G, (i) the innerframe 221 fits partly within and moves up and down relative to the outerframe 222 between the locked configuration and the unlockedconfiguration; (ii) the resilient member 223 extends between the innerframe 221 and the outer frame 222 and urges the inner frame 221 upwardsuch that the inner frame 221 is biased relative to the outer frame 222toward the locked configuration; (iii) the inner frame 221 includes afirst inner frame aperture 234A, a second inner frame aperture 234B, athird inner frame aperture 234C, and a fourth inner frame aperture 234D,which are each spaced apart from the other inner frame apertures; (iv)the outer frame 222 includes a first outer frame aperture 240A, a secondouter frame aperture 240B, a third outer frame aperture 240C, and afourth outer frame aperture 240D, which are each spaced apart from theother outer frame apertures; (v) the inner frame apertures 234A-234D aresubstantially aligned with and concentric with the outer frame apertures240A-240D when the inner frame 221 and the outer frame 222 are in theunlocked configuration, thereby allowing the shoelace 11 to be threadedthrough the inner frame apertures 234A-234D and the outer frameapertures 240A-240D; (vi) the inner frame apertures 234A-234D are notaligned with and concentric with the outer frame apertures 240A-240Dwhen the inner frame 221 and the outer frame 222 are in the lockedconfiguration, thereby allowing the shoelace 11 to be held securelybetween the inner frame 221 and the outer frame 222; (vii) the first endof the shoelace 11 can be threaded into the receiver section 246 of thelace end retainer 225; (viii) the second end of the shoelace 11 can bethreaded into the receiver section 246 of the lace end retainer 225; and(ix) the first end and the second end of the shoelace 11 can be moved tothe side so as to be positioned in and securely retained within one ofthe retainer sections 248 of the lace end retainer 225.

As noted above, in various embodiments, the feedback assembly 19, i.e.the sensor assembly 16 and/or the image assembly 18, can be coupled tothe lace adjuster 214. For example, in some embodiments, as noted above,the lace adjuster 214 includes the adjuster body assembly 220 and theadjuster cover 226 that is selectively coupled to the adjuster bodyassembly 220. In one such embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the sensorassembly 16 and the image assembly 18 can be coupled to the adjustercover 226. Alternatively, in another such embodiment, the sensorassembly 16 and/or the image assembly 18 can be coupled to the adjusterbody assembly 220 or positioned within the adjuster body assembly 220.

FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic illustration of an embodiment of thesensor assembly 316 illustrated in FIG. 1 . The design of the sensorassembly 316 can be varied. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , thesensor assembly 316 can include an assembly body 354, one or moresensors 356 (four are illustrated as boxes in phantom in FIG. 3 ), aninput mechanism 358, a storage device 360 (illustrated as a box inphantom), a transmitter 362 (illustrated as a box in phantom), acontroller 364 (illustrated as a box in phantom), a display screen 366,and a power source 368 (illustrated in phantom). As shown, in thisembodiment, each of the one or more sensors 356, the input mechanism358, the storage device 360, the transmitter 362, the controller 364,the display screen 366 and the power source 368 can be coupled to and/orpositioned substantially within the assembly body 354. The design ofeach of these components can be varied to suit the design requirementsof the sensor assembly 316. Alternatively, the sensor assembly 316 canhave another suitable design, which can comprise more or fewercomponents than those specifically illustrated in FIG. 3 . Stillalternatively, one or more of the components can be provided remotelyfrom the assembly body 354.

As shown, in one embodiment, the assembly body 354 can provide a housingfor the one or more sensors 356, the input mechanism 358, the storagedevice 360, the transmitter 362, the controller 364, the display screen366 and the power source 368. The design of the assembly body 354 can bevaried. For example, in one embodiment, the assembly body 354 issubstantially rectangular box-shaped. Alternatively, the assembly body354 can have another suitable shape.

As noted above, the sensor assembly 316 can provide the athlete withvarious statistical data and/or performance measurables that enable theathlete to effectively gauge various aspects of their athleticperformance. In order to effectively provide such statistical dataand/or performance measurables, the sensor assembly 316 needs the one ormore sensors 356 to encompass certain features in order to sense theappropriate performance variables. For example, in certain embodiments,the one or more sensors 356 can include one or more two-axisaccelerometers, a three-axis accelerometer, a gyrometer (or gyroscope)and/or another type of rate sensor, and/or a magnetometer. Additionallyand/or alternatively, the one or more sensors 356 can include additionalappropriate sensor types.

As discussed herein, the one or more sensors 356 can be effectivelyutilized to sense various performance characteristics, which can besubsequently utilized to generate usable statistical data and/orperformance measurables for the athlete. For example, the two-axisaccelerometers can be utilized to measure and/or sense acceleration ofthe athlete during his or her performance along two axes. Morespecifically, one two-axis accelerometer can be utilized to measureand/or sense acceleration of the athlete along the horizontal axes (i.e.the X axis and the Y axis); and other two-axis accelerometers can beutilized to measure and/or sense acceleration of the athlete along onehorizontal axis (i.e. either the X axis or the Y axis) and the verticalaxis (i.e. the Z axis). Additionally, the three-axis accelerometer canbe utilized to measure and/or sense acceleration of the athlete alongall three axes (i.e. along the X axis, the Y axis and the Z axis). Itshould be appreciated that by comparing the performance characteristicsmeasured and/or sensed by the three-axis accelerometers to theperformance characteristics measured and/or sensed by each of thetwo-axis accelerometers (i.e. by subtracting two-axis data from thethree-axis data), accurate acceleration data can be determined alongeach individual axis to effectively isolate vertical and horizontalacceleration of the athlete.

Further, the gyrometer (or gyroscope) or other type of rate sensor canbe utilized to measure and/or sense orientation information for theathlete as a means to ultimately provide usable data with regard toangular movements of the athlete (e.g., twist and rotation) duringperformance of the athletic activity or event. Still further, themagnetometer can be utilized to measure the strength (i.e. magnitude)and direction of magnetic fields at a point in space in relation to thevarious movements of the athlete.

It should be appreciated that any and all of the performancecharacteristics measured and/or sensed by the one or more sensors 356can be combined in any suitable manner to enable the generation ofvarious statistical data and/or performance measurables for the athleteduring the performance of an athletic activity or event.

It should further be appreciated that in order to more effectivelyevaluate the various statistical data from the athletic performances,the athlete may desire to provide certain input information, such as theheight and weight of the athlete. In one embodiment, the athlete maymanually input such information as height and weight into the sensorassembly 316 and/or the controller 364 via the input mechanism 358.Alternatively, information such as the height and weight of the athletecan be provided to the sensor assembly 316 and/or the controller 364 inanother suitable manner. This information can further be utilized to seethe effects of people's height and weight on the performance data.

Moreover, the athlete can further provide such information as mostrecent food and/or liquid intake, latest sleeping experience, mostrecent exercise and extent thereof, etc. as a means to help define whenthe athlete may be able to experience optimum performance.

Further, as noted above, in certain embodiments or applications, thesensor assembly 316 can additionally and/or alternatively include one ormore GPS sensors for providing accurate and precise locationalinformation that can be used by the individual wearing the lace adjuster14. For example, in certain non-exclusive alternative applications, theGPS sensors can be utilized for purposes of navigation and/or the GPSsensors can be utilized for purposes of tracking. With suchapplications, the individual wearing the lace adjuster 14 always knowswhere he or she is, as well as where he or she needs to go to reach anydesired destination. In such uses, the GPS sensors can be utilized toinhibit the person wearing the lace adjuster 14 from getting lost and/orto enable the wearer to follow a prescribed trail, e.g., during anadventure race or when exploring the wilderness. Moreover, as also notedabove, the GPS sensors can offer a sense of security for someone, e.g.,a parent or guardian, who is charged with care for and/or monitoring ofthe individual wearing the lace adjuster 14. In such applications, thelocational information from the GPS sensors can be wirelesslytransmitted to a remote device 470 (illustrated in FIG. 4 ) so that theuser and/or the parent or guardian can always have the accurate andprecise locational information of the person wearing the lace adjuster14.

Further, the GPS sensors can be used to track the movement of the user.For example, the route ran or biked can be recorded and stored forfuture analysis. Other information, such as time and altitude can alsobe recorded and stored for future analysis.

The data that is sensed by the one or more sensors 356, as well as thedata input by the athlete via the input mechanism 358 (or otherwise),can be stored and/or maintained within the storage device 360 of thesensor assembly 316. The storage device 360 can have any suitable designthat enables the storing and/or maintenance of information.

The transmitter 362 can be utilized to transmit the information and datathat is stored within the storage device 360 (or data from the sensors356) to the controller 364 or other computing device, e.g., a remotesmart phone, computer, etc. The transmitter 362 can have any suitabledesign to enable the effective transmission of information and data fromthe storage device 360 to the controller 364. Alternatively, theinformation and data that is stored within the storage device 360 can betransmitted to the controller 364 without the need for a separatetransmitter 362. For example, the data can be transmitted via aremovable cord to a computer or other processor.

The controller 364 is electrically coupled to the one or more sensors356, e.g., via the storage device 360 and/or the transmitter 362.Additionally, the performance characteristics that are measured and/orsensed by the one or more sensors 356 are subsequently transmitted toand received by the controller 364 for conversion into usablestatistical data, i.e. into one or more usable statistical data points.In one embodiment, one or more wires (not illustrated) can be utilizedfor transmitting the performance characteristics from the one or moresensors 356 to the controller 364, e.g., via the storage device 360and/or the transmitter 362. Alternatively, in another embodiment, theone or more sensors 356 can be wirelessly coupled to the controller 364for transmission of such performance characteristics.

As noted, the controller 364 can be utilized to convert the performancecharacteristics as measured and/or sensed by the sensors 356 into usablestatistical data for the athlete. Such statistical data can furtherincorporate the data input by the athlete via the input mechanism 358(or otherwise), and/or such statistical data can be provided independentof the data input by the athlete. The controller 364 can include one ormore circuits and/or processors. Additionally, the controller 364 caninclude one or more program algorithms that can be effectively utilizedto convert the information from the sensors 356 into the desired usablestatistical data. The program algorithms can be varied depending on theparticular statistical data that is desired.

As noted above, the sensor assembly 316 can be utilized to generatevarious types of usable statistical data to gauge the performance of theathlete. For example, the sensor assembly 316 can be utilized togenerate statistical data such as can be provided through the use of apedometer (substantially horizontal movements of the athlete), i.e.number of steps taken, total distance traveled, and/or distance traveledper step (or stride length). Stride length can obviously vary dependingon the nature of the specific activity. For example, when you are tiredor running uphill you have shorter strides, and when you are freshand/or running downhill you have longer strides. By averaging suchinformation, and comparing that to the nature of the course to be run,the user can use this information to estimate how long it will take tofinish the run. With the addition of a timing sensor or mechanism, thisdata can be further analyzed to generate statistical data for thehorizontal speed of travel.

Additionally, statistical data with regard to horizontal burst can begenerated by comparing the performance characteristics that have beenmeasured and/or sensed by two-axis accelerometers (measuringacceleration along the X axis or the Y axis, as well as the Z axis) tothe performance characteristics as measured and/or sensed by thethree-axis accelerometer (measuring acceleration along each of the Xaxis, the Y axis and the Z axis). By subtracting the two-axis data fromthe three-axis data, the acceleration data for the off-axis can bedetermined. By so isolating the acceleration data along the X axis andalong the Y axis, the horizontal burst can be effectively determined. Asnoted above, horizontal burst can be defined as sudden acceleration froman average rate of speed (whether the athlete is already moving or is ata dead stop). Such burst can further be defined from any directionalvector, north, south, east, west, and anywhere in between. Burstalgorithms need to average the force expended or acceleration rate, overtime.

In a substantially similar manner, the performance characteristics fromthe one or more sensors 356 can be utilized to generate statistical dataregarding substantially vertical movements of the athlete such as anumber of jumps (once characteristics of what constitutes a jump areeffectively established), height of jumps, and vertical burst (i.e.take-off velocity or acceleration for a jump). For example, in order toeffectively determine what may constitute a jump and the height of thejump, information from a two-axis accelerometer (i.e. along the X axisand the Y axis) would be compared to the three-axis accelerometer, sothat off axis movement (or non-true movement of the foot, whencalculating height) can be removed from the analysis.

The statistical data for the substantially horizontal movements of theathlete and for the substantially vertical movements of the athlete canbe combined to generate additional desired statistical data, such as anoverall number of accelerations (horizontal and vertical). The number ofaccelerations can be defined from zero momentum, to different monitoringof constant speed or a constant g range. Subsequently, a sudden increasein speed in any direction can be effectively quantified. Suchinformation can be more valuable in certain sports that rely more onconstant accelerations, such as ice hockey, or basketball.

Further, the gyrometer or other rate sensor can be utilized to analyzeangular, twisting or rotational movements of the athlete. In suchanalysis, it may be necessary to quantify how many degrees of angularmovement or rotation from true will quantify as a twist and or rotation.

Still further, as noted above, the performance characteristics that aremeasured and/or sensed by the one or more sensors 356 can be furtherutilized to generate statistical data in relation to energy expendedduring athletic performance (e.g., in kcal), and/or force expendedduring athletic performance (e.g., in psi, kpi, or other forcemeasurements). It should be appreciated that any statistical datarelated to energy expended and/or force expended can require informationsuch as the weight of the athlete in order for such statistical data tobe accurately generated.

The display screen 366 can be a video screen, of any suitable size andshape, which is utilized to display any and all data and informationthat is sensed, input and/or generated within the sensor assembly 316.More specifically, the display device 366 can be utilized to display anyperformance characteristics that are measured and/or sensed by the oneor more sensors 356, and data or information that is input by theathlete via the input mechanism 358 (or otherwise), and any statisticaldata points that may be generated from the sensed and input data by thecontroller 364.

The power source 368 can provide the necessary power to the one or moresensors 356, the input mechanism 358, the storage device 360, thetransmitter 362, the controller 364 and/or the display screen 366 toenable all of these components to perform their desired functions. Inone embodiment, the power source 368 can include one or more batteries(not shown), e.g., rechargeable batteries and/or single-use batteries,which can be used to provide such necessary power. Alternatively, thepower source 368 can have another suitable design.

FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic illustration of another embodiment ofthe sensor assembly 416 illustrated in FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, thesensor assembly 416 is somewhat similar to the sensor assembly 316illustrated and described above in relation to FIG. 3 . For example, thesensor assembly 416 again includes an assembly body 454, one or moresensors 456, an input mechanism 458, a storage device 460, a transmitter462, a controller 464, a display screen 466, and a power source 468 thatare somewhat similar in design and function to the assembly body 354,the one or more sensors 356, the input mechanism 358, the storage device360, the transmitter 362, the controller 364, the display screen 366,and the power source 368 illustrated and described above in relation toFIG. 3 . Accordingly, the various features and aspects of the assemblybody 454, the one or more sensors 456, the input mechanism 458, thestorage device 460, the transmitter 462, the controller 464, the displayscreen 466, and the power source 468 will not be described in detailherein.

However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 , the input mechanism458, the display screen 466, and the controller 464 are positionedremotely from the assembly body 454, i.e. within and/or coupled to aremote device 470. For example, the input mechanism 458, the displayscreen 466 and the controller 464 can be included within and/or coupledto a remote device 470 such as a smart phone, a computer, and/or anyother suitable computing device. With this design, the performancecharacteristics that are sensed, measured and/or otherwise captured bythe one or more sensors 456 can be stored within the storage device 460,and can subsequently be wirelessly transmitted, via the transmitter 462,to the controller 464 so that more usable statistical data can begenerated from such performance characteristics.

In one embodiment, the remote device 470, e.g., the smart phone,includes an application for the sensor assembly 416 and the informationcan be uploaded to a website for analysis, comparison, storage, or otherinformation.

In certain embodiments, the remote device 470 will have Bluetoothcapabilities, and have a social media aspect where customers cancommunicate and compare their statistical data to one or moreprofessional athletes. It should be appreciated that this comparison ofstatistical data can embody many different sports.

It should also be appreciated that by providing the display screen 466within and/or coupled to a remote device 470 remotely from the assemblybody 454, the display screen 466 can typically be larger so as to enableeasier viewing of the sensed, measured, input and/or generatedinformation, data and performance characteristics. Additionally, byproviding the controller 464 within and/or coupled to a remote device470 remotely from the assembly body 454, the controller 464 should havefewer size restrictions, and thus may be able to provide increasedcomputation capabilities.

Additionally, as noted herein above, in certain embodiments, the remotedevice 470 can include a USB port 471 or other suitable connection thatenables the user to simply plug the storage device 460 into the USB port471 to quickly and easily download any and all data generated throughuse of the sensor assembly 416. With such design, the user is able toview any and all such data at a later time of convenience to the user.

FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic illustration of an embodiment of theimage capturing assembly 518 illustrated in FIG. 1 . The design of theimage assembly 518 can be varied. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the image assembly 518 can be a digital camera that includes anassembly body 572, an optical assembly 574, a capturing system 576(illustrated in phantom), a storage device 578 (illustrated as a box inphantom), a transmitter 580 (illustrated as a box in phantom), acontroller 582 (illustrated as a box in phantom), and a power source 584(illustrated as a box in phantom). The design of these components can bevaried to suit the design requirements and type of image assembly 518.Alternatively, the image assembly 518 can be designed without one ormore of these components.

Additionally, in certain alternative embodiments, the image assembly 518can be designed to capture still images of the athlete during anathletic performance, and/or the image assembly 518 can be designed tocapture video image sequences of the athlete during an athleticperformance. Further, in some embodiments, the image assembly 518 can beactivated manually by the athlete or other user of the image assembly518, and/or the image assembly 518 can be designed to be automaticallyactivated based on the occurrence of certain movements or events.

As shown in this embodiment, each of the optical assembly 574, thecapturing system 576, the storage device 578, the transmitter 580, thecontroller 582 and the power source 584 can be coupled to and/orpositioned substantially within the assembly body 572. Alternatively,one or more of the components can be provided remotely from the assemblybody 572.

The assembly body 572 can be rigid and support and/or provide a housingfor at least some of the other components of the image assembly 518,e.g., the optical assembly 574, the capturing system 576, the storagedevice 578, the transmitter 580, the controller 582 and the power source584. In one embodiment, the assembly body 572 includes a generallyrectangular shaped hollow body that forms a cavity that receives andretains such components of the image assembly 518.

The optical assembly 574 can include a single lens or a combination oflenses that work in conjunction with each other to focus light onto thecapturing system 576. As the image assembly 518 is coupled to the laceadjuster 14, the optical assembly 574 can be positioned and orientedsuch that the lenses focus light onto the capturing system 576 from anydesired direction. For example, in one embodiment, the optical assembly574 can be positioned and oriented such that the lenses focus light ontothe capturing system 576 from a generally vertical direction, i.e. theoptical assembly 574 is directed in a generally upward direction fromthe lace adjuster 14. Additionally and/or alternatively, the opticalassembly 574 can be positioned and oriented such that the lenses focuslight onto the capturing system 576 from a generally horizontaldirection and/or at any desired angle between the vertical andhorizontal directions.

In one embodiment, the image assembly 518 includes an autofocus assembly(not shown) including one or more lens movers that move one or morelenses of the optical assembly 574 in or out until the sharpest possibleimage of a main subject, e.g., the athlete, is received by the capturingsystem 576.

The capturing system 576 captures information for the still imagesand/or the video sequences of the athlete during their athleticperformance. The design of the capturing system 576 can vary accordingto the type of image assembly 518. For a digital-type camera, thecapturing system 576 can include an image sensor (not shown) and afilter assembly (not shown).

The still images and/or video sequences that are captured by thecapturing system 576 can be stored and/or maintained within the storagedevice 578 of the image assembly 518. The storage device 578 can haveany suitable design that enables the storing of such still images and/orvideo sequences.

The transmitter 580 can be utilized to transmit the still images and/orvideo sequences that are stored within the storage device 578 to thecontroller 582 and/or to a remote image device 586, e.g., a television,a smart phone, a computer, etc. The transmitter 580 can have anysuitable design to enable the effective transmission of the still imagesand/or video sequences from the storage device 578 to the controller 582and/or to the remote image device 586. Alternatively, the still imagesand/or video sequences that are stored within the storage device 578 canbe transmitted to the controller 582 without the need for a separatetransmitter 580.

The controller 582 is electrically connected to and controls theoperation of the electrical components of the image assembly 518. Thecontroller 582 can include one or more processors and circuits, and thecontroller 582 can be programmed to perform one or more of the functionsdescribed herein. For example, the controller 582 can be utilized toperform various processing steps on the still images and/or videosequences of the athlete that have been captured by the capturing system576.

As shown, the controller 582 can be positioned within the assembly body572. Additionally and/or alternatively, the controller 582 and/or aseparate, second controller can be positioned remotely from the imageassembly 518, e.g., within the remote image device 586.

The power source 584 can provide the necessary power to the opticalassembly 574, the capturing system 576, the storage device 578, thetransmitter 580 and/or the controller 582 to enable all of thesecomponents to perform their desired functions. In one embodiment, thepower source 584 can include one or more batteries (not shown), e.g.,rechargeable batteries and/or single-use batteries, which can be used toprovide such necessary power. Alternatively, the power source 584 canhave another suitable design.

It should be appreciated that in embodiments of the lace adjusterassembly 12 that include both the image assembly 518 and the sensorassembly 316, the transmitter 580, the controller 582 and/or the powersource 584 can be used in common for each of the image assembly 518 andthe sensor assembly 316. Alternatively, in such embodiments, the imageassembly 518 and the sensor assembly 316 can include and utilizeseparate transmitters, controllers and/or power sources.

Further, in one embodiment of the lace adjuster assembly 12 thatincludes both the image assembly 518 and the sensor assembly 316, thevarious components of the image assembly 518 and the sensor assembly 316can be coupled to and/or positioned substantially within a commonassembly body.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 5 and as noted above, the image assembly518 can be wirelessly coupled to the remote image device 586. Forexample, in certain embodiments, the transmitter 580 of the imageassembly 518 can be designed to wirelessly transmit the still images andvideo sequences of the athlete to the remote image device 586 via Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, or other suitable wireless technique.

The design of the remote image device 586 can be varied. As shown inthis embodiment, the remote image device 586 can include an imagedisplay screen 588, a remote storage device 590 (illustrated as a box inphantom), a remote device controller 592 (illustrated as a box inphantom), and a remote device power source 594 (illustrated as a box inphantom). Alternatively, the remote image device 586 can be designedwith greater or fewer components than those specifically illustrated anddescribed herein. In certain non-exclusive alternative embodiments, theremote image device 586 can comprise a television, a smart phone, acomputer, and/or any other suitable device for displaying the stillimages and/or video sequences of the athlete. For example, in some suchembodiments, the still images and/or video sequences can be viewed ordisplayed on television, on a website (after proper uploading), and/orvia a smart phone app.

The image display screen 588 is provided for purposes of viewing thestill images and/or video sequences of the athlete that have beencaptured by the image assembly 518 during the athletic performance. Itshould be appreciated that by providing the image display screen 588within and/or coupled to the remote image device 586 remotely from theassembly body 572, the image display screen 588 can typically besubstantially larger so as to enable easier viewing of the still imagesand/or video sequences of the athlete that have been captured by theimage assembly 518 during the athletic performance.

The remote storage device 590 and the remote device controller 592 canbe designed to perform essentially the same functions as the storagedevice 578 and the controller 582 that are coupled to or positionedsubstantially within the assembly body 572 of the image assembly 518.Additionally, by providing the remote storage device 590 and the remotedevice controller 592 within and/or coupled to the remote image device586 remotely from the assembly body 572, the remote storage device 590and the remote device controller 592 should have fewer sizerestrictions, and thus may be able to provide increased image storageand image processing capabilities.

In certain embodiments, the still images and/or video sequences of theathlete can be shown live on the image display screen 588 of the remoteimage device 586, and/or such still images and video sequences can besaved on the remote storage device 590 for future viewing.

The remote device power source 594 can provide the necessary power tothe image display screen 588, the remote storage device 590 and/or theremote device controller 592 to enable all of these components toperform their desired functions. In one embodiment, the remote devicepower source 594 can include one or more batteries (not shown), e.g.,rechargeable batteries and/or single-use batteries, which can be used toprovide such necessary power. Alternatively, the remote device powersource 594 can have another suitable design.

FIGS. 6A-6G are alternative views of another embodiment of a laceadjuster assembly 612 having features of the present invention. Inparticular, FIG. 6A is a perspective view of another embodiment of alace adjuster assembly 612 having features of the present invention;FIG. 6B is a front view of the lace adjuster assembly 612 illustrated inFIG. 6A, the lace adjuster assembly 612 including a lace adjuster 614that is in an unlocked configuration; FIG. 6C is a front view of thelace adjuster assembly 612 illustrated in FIG. 6A, the lace adjuster 614being in a locked configuration; FIG. 6D is a front view of the laceadjuster assembly 612 illustrated in FIG. 6A, the lace adjuster 614being in a partially locked configuration; FIG. 6E is a side view of thelace adjuster assembly 612 illustrated in FIG. 6A; FIG. 6F is a backview of the lace adjuster assembly 612 illustrated in FIG. 6A; and FIG.6G is an exploded view of the lace adjuster assembly 612 illustrated inFIG. 6A.

The design of the lace adjuster assembly 612 can be varied. In theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6G, the lace adjuster assembly 612includes a lace adjuster 614 and a sensor assembly 616 (illustrated inFIG. 6G) that is coupled to and/or secured within the lace adjuster 614.Additionally and/or alternatively, the lace adjuster assembly 612 canhave more components or fewer components than those specificallyillustrated and described herein. For example, in certain non-exclusivealternative embodiments, the lace adjuster assembly 612 can furtherinclude an image capturing assembly (similar to what was illustrated anddescribed herein above) that is coupled to the lace adjuster 614 in anysuitable manner and/or the lace adjuster assembly 612 can be designedwithout the sensor assembly 616.

As above, the lace adjuster 614 can be used to easily and quicklytighten or loosen the shoelace 11 (illustrated in FIG. 1 ) of the shoe10 (illustrated in FIG. 1 ). As shown in FIGS. 6A-6G, the lace adjuster614 comprises an adjuster body assembly 620 (also referred to hereinsimply as a “body assembly”) including a first body member 621 and asecond body member 622, a first resilient insert assembly 623A(illustrated in FIG. 6G), a second resilient insert assembly 623B(illustrated in FIG. 6G), and an adjuster cover plate 626. The designand positioning of each of the components of the lace adjuster 614 canbe varied pursuant to the teachings provided herein. Additionally, thelace adjuster 614 can be designed without one or more of the componentsas listed above. For example, the lace adjuster 614 can be designedwithout the adjuster cover plate 626.

As with the previous embodiments, the lace adjuster 614 is configured tobe selectively moved between an unlocked configuration (as illustrated,for example, in FIG. 6B) and a locked configuration (as illustrated, forexample, in FIG. 6C). Additionally, in this embodiment, the laceadjuster 614 can be positioned in a partially locked configuration (asillustrated, for example, in FIG. 6A and FIGS. 6D-6F). Morespecifically, in this embodiment, each of the resilient insertassemblies 623A, 623B can be moved independently of one another betweena locked position and an unlocked position, such that the shoelace 11can be selectively adjusted independently on each side. For example, ineach of FIGS. 6A and 6D-6F, the first resilient insert assembly 623A isin the locked position and the second resilient insert assembly 623B isin the unlocked position.

In this embodiment, the first body member 621 and the second body member622 of the body assembly 620 are selectively coupled together to form acavity 695 (illustrated in FIG. 6G) therein, with the sensor assembly616 being secured within the cavity 695.

Referring now to FIG. 6G, in this embodiment, the first body member 621includes a member base 621A and a pair of substantially cylinder-shapedmember projections 621B that cantilever away from an inner surface ofthe member base 621A into the cavity 695. As shown, the member base 621Aincludes a base front 621AA that is a rounded, semi-oval shape, and abase back 621AB that is substantially flat or slightly curved, whereinthe base back 621AB is designed to face the shoe 10 and rest stablyagainst the shoe 10.

Additionally, as shown, each of the member projections 621B includes apair of projection apertures 696 that extend fully through the memberprojections 621B. The projection apertures 696 are adapted to receiveand retain a portion of the shoelace 11 during use, as will be describedin greater detail herein below.

Referring back now to FIG. 6A, the second body member 622 can besubstantially semi-oval-shaped, with a substantially flat top side 622Athat is designed to directly abut a portion of the first body member621, and a rounded bottom side 622B. Additionally, the second bodymember 622 can also include a front side 622C that is a rounded,semi-oval shape to match the base front 621AA of the member base 621A,and a back side 622D (illustrated more clearly in FIG. 6F) that issubstantially flat or slightly curved to match the base back 621AB ofthe member base 621A, wherein the back side 622D is designed to face theshoe 10 and rest stably against the shoe 10.

Further, as shown in the Figures, the body assembly 620 includes aplurality of front body apertures 697 (four are illustrated, forexample, in FIG. 6B) and a plurality of back body apertures 698 (fourare illustrated in FIG. 6F). The body assembly 620 is configured suchthat the front body apertures 697 are aligned with the back bodyapertures 698 when the body members 621, 622 are coupled together.Additionally, the projection apertures 696 are also aligned with thefront body apertures 697 and the back body apertures 698 when the bodymembers 621, 622 are coupled together.

It should be appreciated that the number of front body apertures 697 andback body apertures 698 can be varied. Stated in another manner, thebody assembly 620 can include greater than four or less than four frontbody apertures 697, and/or the body assembly 620 can include greaterthan four or less than back body apertures 698.

As noted above, the resilient insert assemblies 623A, 623B are adaptedto be selectively and independently moved between a locked position andan unlocked position, so as to move the lace adjuster 614 between thelocked configuration and the unlocked configuration. The design of theresilient insert assemblies 623A, 623B can be varied to suit therequirements of the lace adjuster 614. In certain embodiments, as shownin FIG. 6G, the resilient insert assemblies 623A, 623B can besubstantially identical to one another, and can include a substantiallycylinder-shaped assembly shaft 623C and a resilient member 623D that iscoupled to the assembly shaft 623C.

The assembly shaft 623C is sized and shaped to fit within and movewithin the member projection 621B. As shown in FIG. 6G, each of theassembly shafts 623C includes a pair of shaft apertures 699 that extendfully through the assembly shafts 623C.

As provided herein, when the resilient insert assembly 623A, 623B is inthe unlocked position, the shaft apertures 699 are substantially alignedwith the front body apertures 697, the back body apertures 698 and theprojection apertures 696, such that the shoelace 11 can be easily andeffectively threaded fully through and/or removed from the front bodyapertures 697, the back body apertures 698, the projection apertures 696and the shaft apertures 699. Conversely, when the resilient insertassembly 623A, 623B is in the locked position, the shaft apertures 699are not aligned with the front body apertures 697, the back bodyapertures 698 and the projection apertures 696, such that the shoelace11 cannot be easily moved through the apertures. Thus, when the shoelace11 has been threaded through the apertures, one or both of the resilientinsert assemblies 623A, 623B can be moved to the locked position so thatthe shoelace 11 is effectively retained in position.

The resilient member 623D of each of the resilient insert assemblies623A, 623B is coupled to and extends between the assembly shaft 623C anda portion of the second body member 622. The design of the resilientmember 623D can be varied depending on the requirements of the laceadjuster 614. For example, as shown in FIG. 6G, the resilient member623D is a spring. Alternatively, the resilient member 623D can beanother piece of resilient material. In one embodiment, the resilientmember 623D urges the assembly shaft 623C into the locked position.Stated in another manner, the resilient member 623D biases the assemblyshaft 623C to the locked position. Alternatively, the resilient member623D can be designed to urge the assembly shaft 623C to the unlockedposition. In such alternative embodiment, the lace adjuster 614 wouldfurther require a locking mechanism (not illustrated) that wouldmaintain the assembly shaft 623C in the locked position. In thesealternative embodiments, the resilient member 623D is either extended orcompressed as the assembly shaft 623C is moved between the lockedposition and the unlocked position.

The adjuster cover plate 626 can be coupled to the body assembly 620.Additionally, the adjuster cover plate 620 can include a design 652 soas to give the lace adjuster 614 a more interesting appearance.

Referring again to FIG. 6G, the sensor assembly 616 is clearlyillustrated as able to fit and be secured within the cavity 695 formedbetween the first body member 621 and the second body member 622. Thedesign of the sensor assembly 616 can be varied. It should beappreciated that the sensor assembly 616 can be designed in a somewhatsimilar manner to the sensor assemblies 316, 416 illustrated anddescribed herein above. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6G,the sensor assembly 616 includes an assembly body 654 (e.g., a firsthousing member 654A and a second housing member 654B), one or moresensors 656, a storage device 660, a transmitter 662, a controller 664and a power source 668 that are somewhat similar in design and functionto the similarly-named components illustrated and described above. Thus,a detailed description of such components will not be repeated here.Additionally, similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 , adisplay screen 466 (shown in FIG. 4 ) and an input mechanism 458 (shownin FIG. 4 ) can be included within a remote device 470 (shown in FIG. 4) so as to provide certain benefits in size and complexity.

FIG. 7A is a front perspective view of still another embodiment of alace adjuster assembly 712 having features of the present invention. Thedesign of the lace adjuster assembly 712 can be varied. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 7A, the lace adjuster assembly 712includes a lace adjuster 714 and a sensor assembly 716 (illustrated inFIG. 7D) that is coupled to and/or secured within the lace adjuster 714.Additionally and/or alternatively, the lace adjuster assembly 712 canhave more components or fewer components than those specificallyillustrated and described herein. For example, in certain non-exclusivealternative embodiments, the lace adjuster assembly 712 can furtherinclude an image capturing assembly (not shown) that is coupled to thelace adjuster 714 in any suitable manner and/or the lace adjusterassembly 712 can be designed without the sensor assembly 716.

As above, the lace adjuster 714 can be used to easily and quicklytighten or loosen the shoelace 11 (illustrated in FIG. 1 ) of the shoe10 (illustrated in FIG. 1 ). In certain embodiments, the lace adjuster714 includes an adjuster body assembly 720 (also referred to hereinsimply as a “body assembly”) including a first body member 721 and asecond body member 722 (illustrated more clearly in FIG. 7B), and aresilient insert assembly 723. The design and positioning of each of thecomponents of the lace adjuster 714 can be varied pursuant to theteachings provided herein. Additionally and/or alternatively, the laceadjuster 714 can be designed with more or fewer components than thoselisted above.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7A, the first body member 721 isillustrated as being transparent, such that the sensor assembly 716 canbe easily seen from outside the lace adjuster 714. With such design, thelace adjuster 714 can further include an image assembly (not shown) thatis also retained within the body assembly 720. Additionally and/oralternatively, the second body member 722 can also be transparent, orthe body assembly 720 can be designed such that neither body member 721,722 is transparent.

As with the previous embodiments, the lace adjuster 714 is configured tobe selectively moved between an unlocked configuration (as illustrated,for example, in FIGS. 7A and 7B) were that laces are free to move and alocked configuration (as illustrated, for example, in FIG. 7C) where thelaces are locked. It should be noted that in certain embodiments, theend of the laces are not retained. However, the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 7A can be modified to retain the ends of the laces.

In certain embodiments, the first body member 721 and the second bodymember 722 of the body assembly 720 are selectively coupled together toform a cavity (not shown) therein, with the sensor assembly 716 beingsecured within the cavity.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 7A, the body assembly 720, i.e. the firstbody member 721 includes a plurality of front body apertures 797 (twoare illustrated in FIG. 7A). It should be appreciated that the number offront body apertures 797 can be varied. Stated in another manner, thefirst body member 721 can include greater than two or less than twofront body apertures 797.

FIG. 7B is a back perspective view of the lace adjuster assembly 712illustrated in FIG. 7A. As shown, the lace adjuster 714 is again in theunlocked configuration. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 7B, the bodyassembly 720, i.e. the second body member 722, includes a plurality ofback body apertures 798 (two are illustrated in FIG. 7B). The bodyassembly 720 is configured such that the front body apertures 797 arealigned with the back body apertures 798 when the body members 721, 722are coupled together. It should be appreciated that the number of backbody apertures 798 can be varied. Stated in another manner, the secondbody member 722 can include greater than two or less than two back bodyapertures 798.

As noted above, FIG. 7A illustrates the lace adjuster 714 in theunlocked configuration. Additionally, FIG. 7C is a front perspectiveview of the lace adjuster assembly 712 illustrated in FIG. 7A, with thelace adjuster 714 being in the locked configuration. As illustrated, theresilient insert assembly 723 is adapted to be selectively moved betweenan unlocked position (illustrated in FIG. 7A) and a locked position(illustrated in FIG. 7C), so as to move the lace adjuster 714 betweenthe unlocked configuration and the locked configuration.

Further, FIG. 7D is a partially exploded view of the lace adjusterassembly 712 illustrated in FIG. 7A.

The design of the resilient insert assembly 723 can be varied to suitthe requirements of the lace adjuster 714. In certain embodiments, theresilient insert assembly 723 can include a substantiallycylinder-shaped (or other shape) assembly shaft 723A and a resilientmember 723B that is coupled to the assembly shaft 723A. As shown in FIG.7D, the assembly shaft 723A can include a plurality of shaft apertures799 (two are illustrated in FIG. 7D). It should be appreciated that thenumber of shaft apertures 799 can be varied. Stated in another manner,the assembly shaft 723A can include greater than two or less than twoshaft apertures 799.

Additionally, it should be appreciated that the shape of the shaftapertures 799 can be varied as desired. For example, as shown, the shaftapertures 799 can include one or more tooth-shaped projections that canbe utilized to more effectively retain the shoelace 11 (illustrated inFIG. 1 ) when the lace adjuster 714 is in the locked configuration.Alternatively, the shaft apertures 799 can have another suitable design.

As provided herein, when the resilient insert assembly 723 is in theunlocked position, the shaft apertures 799 are substantially alignedwith the front body apertures 797 and the back body apertures 798, suchthat the shoelace 11 (illustrated in FIG. 1 ) can be easily andeffectively threaded fully through and/or removed from the front bodyapertures 797, the back body apertures 798, and the shaft apertures 799.Conversely, when the resilient insert assembly 723 is in the lockedposition, the shaft apertures 799 are not aligned with the front bodyapertures 797 and the back body apertures 798, such that the shoelace 11cannot be easily moved through the apertures. Thus, when the shoelace 11has been threaded through the apertures, the resilient insert assembly723 can be moved to the locked position so that the shoelace 11 iseffectively retained in position.

The resilient member 723B of the resilient insert assembly 723 iscoupled to and extends between the assembly shaft 723A and a portion ofthe body assembly 720. The design of the resilient member 723B can bevaried depending on the requirements of the lace adjuster 714. Forexample, in certain embodiments, the resilient member 723B is a spring.Alternatively, the resilient member 723B can be another piece ofresilient material. In one embodiment, the resilient member 723B urgesthe assembly shaft 723A into the locked position. Stated in anothermanner, the resilient member 723B biases the assembly shaft 723A to thelocked position. Alternatively, the resilient member 723B can bedesigned to urge the assembly shaft 723A to the unlocked position. Insuch alternative embodiment, the lace adjuster 714 would further requirea locking mechanism (not illustrated) that would maintain the assemblyshaft 723A in the locked position. In these alternative embodiments, theresilient member 723B is either extended or compressed as the assemblyshaft 723A is moved between the locked position and the unlockedposition.

Referring again to FIG. 7A, the sensor assembly 716 is clearlyillustrated as able to fit and be secured within the cavity formedbetween the first body member 721 and the second body member 722. Thedesign of the sensor assembly 716 can be varied. It should beappreciated that the sensor assembly 716 can be designed in asubstantially similar manner to the sensor assemblies 316, 416illustrated and described herein above. Thus, a detailed description ofthe various components of the sensor assembly 716 will not be repeatedhere. Additionally, similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 ,the sensor assembly 716 can be used with a remote device 470 (shown inFIG. 4 ) so as to provide certain benefits in size and complexity.

It is understood that although a number of different embodiments of thelace adjuster assembly 12, i.e. of the lace adjuster 14, the sensorassembly 16 and the image assembly 18, have been illustrated anddescribed herein, one or more features of any one embodiment can becombined with one or more features of one or more of the otherembodiments, provided that such combination satisfies the intent of thepresent invention.

While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments of a lace adjusterassembly 12, i.e. a lace adjuster 14, a sensor assembly 16 and an imageassembly 18, have been shown and disclosed herein above, those of skillin the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additionsand sub-combinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the laceadjuster 14, the sensor assembly 16 and the image assembly 18 shall beinterpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additionsand sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and scope, and nolimitations are intended to the details of construction or design hereinshown.

What is claimed is:
 1. A lace adjuster assembly that is adapted toselectively adjust and secure a shoelace of a shoe of a user, the laceadjuster assembly comprising: a lace adjuster that is adapted to allowthe user to selectively adjust the shoelace of the shoe of the user, thelace adjuster including (i) a body assembly having a first body memberand a second body member that is coupled to the first body member, thebody assembly defining a cavity, and (ii) a lace end retainer that isconnected to the body assembly, the lace end retainer being configuredto selectively retain at least a portion of the shoelace, the laceadjuster being selectively movable between an unlocked configuration anda locked configuration, wherein the shoelace is adjustable relative tothe lace adjuster when the lace adjuster is in the unlockedconfiguration, and wherein the shoelace is resiliently retained by thelace adjuster and is inhibited from being adjusted relative to the laceadjuster when the lace adjuster is in the locked configuration; and afeedback assembly that is mechanically coupled to the lace adjuster, thefeedback assembly including a sensor assembly that is mechanicallycoupled to the lace adjuster, the sensor assembly including a firstsensor, a second sensor and a storage device that are positioned withinthe cavity; wherein the first sensor is configured to sense a firstperformance characteristic of the user; wherein the second sensor isconfigured to sense a second performance characteristic of the user; andwherein the storage device is configured to store the first performancecharacteristic sensed by the first sensor and the second performancecharacteristic sensed by the second sensor.
 2. The lace adjusterassembly of claim 1 wherein the second body member is resilientlycoupled to the first body member.
 3. The lace adjuster assembly of claim1 wherein the lace adjuster further includes an adjuster cover that iscoupled to the body assembly; and wherein at least a portion of thefeedback assembly is coupled to the adjuster cover.
 4. The lace adjusterassembly of claim 1 wherein the lace adjuster includes a resilientinsert assembly that is movably and resiliently coupled to the assemblybody, the resilient insert assembly being configured to resilientlyretain the shoelace so that the shoelace is inhibited from beingadjusted relative to the lace adjuster when the lace adjuster is in thelocked configuration.
 5. The lace adjuster assembly of claim 1 whereinthe sensor assembly further includes a controller that is electricallyconnected to the first sensor, the controller including a processor; andwherein the controller receives the first performance characteristicfrom the first sensor and generates a first statistical data point thatis based at least in part on the first performance characteristic. 6.The lace adjuster assembly of claim 5 wherein the first performancecharacteristic includes at least one of a vertical acceleration andorientation information of the user during the athletic performance; andwherein the controller receives the at least one of the verticalacceleration and the orientation information sensed by the first sensorand generates the first statistical data point that is based at least inpart on the at least one of the vertical acceleration and theorientation information, the first statistical data point including oneof a height of a jump, a vertical burst and a rotational movement of theuser during the athletic performance.
 7. The lace adjuster assembly ofclaim 5 wherein the controller further receives the second performancecharacteristic sensed by the second sensor and generates the firststatistical data point that is based at least in part on the firstperformance characteristic and the second performance characteristic. 8.The lace adjuster assembly of claim 5 wherein the controller furtherreceives the second performance characteristic sensed by the secondsensor and generates a second statistical data point that is based atleast in part on the second performance characteristic.
 9. The laceadjuster assembly of claim 5 wherein the sensor assembly furtherincludes a transmitter that wirelessly transmits the first statisticaldata point to a second controller that is coupled to a remote device.10. The lace adjuster assembly of claim 1 wherein the first sensorsenses one or more of a horizontal movement, a vertical movement and anangular movement of the user during the athletic performance.
 11. Thelace adjuster assembly of claim 1 wherein the first sensor includes oneof a two-axis accelerometer, a three-axis accelerometer and a ratesensor.
 12. The lace adjuster assembly of claim 1 wherein the firstsensor includes a magnetometer that measures a magnitude and directionof magnetic fields at a point in space in relation to a position of theuser during the athletic performance.
 13. The lace adjuster assembly ofclaim 1 wherein the feedback assembly further includes an imagecapturing assembly that is mechanically coupled to the lace adjuster,the image capturing assembly being configured to selectively capture animage of the user during the athletic performance.
 14. The lace adjusterassembly of claim 13 wherein the image capturing assembly includes anoptical assembly and a capturing system, and wherein the opticalassembly focuses light onto the capturing system so that the capturingsystem can capture the image of the user.
 15. The lace adjuster assemblyof claim 13 wherein the storage device is further configured to storethe image of the user; and wherein the sensor assembly further includesa transmitter that is configured for wirelessly transmitting the imageof the user to a remote image device.
 16. A lace adjuster assembly thatis adapted to selectively adjust and secure a shoelace of a shoe of auser, the lace adjuster assembly comprising: a lace adjuster that isadapted to allow the user to selectively adjust the shoelace of the shoeof the user, the lace adjuster including (i) a body assembly having afirst body member and a second body member that is coupled to the firstbody member, the first body member and the second body membercooperating to define a cavity therebetween, and (ii) a lace endretainer that is connected to the body assembly, the lace end retainerbeing configured to selectively retain at least a portion of theshoelace, the lace adjuster being selectively movable between anunlocked configuration and a locked configuration, wherein the shoelaceis adjustable relative to the lace adjuster when the lace adjuster is inthe unlocked configuration, and wherein the shoelace is resilientlyretained by the lace adjuster and is inhibited from being adjustedrelative to the lace adjuster when the lace adjuster is in the lockedconfiguration; and a feedback assembly that is mechanically coupled tothe lace adjuster, the feedback assembly including a sensor assemblythat is mechanically coupled to the lace adjuster, the sensor assemblyincluding a first sensor, a second sensor, a storage device and atransmitter that are positioned within the cavity; wherein the firstsensor is configured to sense a first performance characteristic of theuser; wherein the second sensor is configured to sense a secondperformance characteristic of the user; wherein the storage device isconfigured to store the first performance characteristic sensed by thefirst sensor and the second performance characteristic sensed by thesecond sensor; and wherein the transmitter is configured to wirelesslytransmit the first performance characteristic and the second performancecharacteristic that are stored within the storage device to a remotedevice.
 17. The lace adjuster assembly of claim 16 wherein the secondbody member is resiliently coupled to the first body member.
 18. Thelace adjuster assembly of claim 16 wherein the first body memberincludes a first body aperture and the second body member includes asecond body aperture; wherein when the lace adjuster is in the unlockedconfiguration, the first body aperture is substantially aligned with andconcentric with the second body aperture such that the shoelace ismovable through the apertures; and wherein when the lace adjuster is inthe locked configuration, the first body aperture is not aligned with orconcentric with the second body aperture such that the shoelace isinhibited from being moved through the apertures.
 19. The lace adjusterassembly of claim 16 wherein the sensor assembly further includes acontroller that is electrically connected to the first sensor, thecontroller including a processor; and wherein the controller receivesthe first performance characteristic from the first sensor and generatesa first statistical data point that is based at least in part on thefirst performance characteristic.
 20. The lace adjuster assembly ofclaim 19 wherein the controller further receives the second performancecharacteristic sensed by the second sensor and generates the firststatistical data point that is based at least in part on the firstperformance characteristic and the second performance characteristic.21. The lace adjuster assembly of claim 19 wherein the controllerfurther receives the second performance characteristic sensed by thesecond sensor and generates a second statistical data point that isbased at least in part on the second performance characteristic.
 22. Thelace adjuster assembly of claim 16 wherein the first sensor includes oneof a two-axis accelerometer, a three-axis accelerometer and a ratesensor.
 23. A lace adjuster assembly that is adapted to selectivelyadjust and secure a shoelace of a shoe of a user, the lace adjusterassembly comprising: a lace adjuster that is adapted to allow the userto selectively adjust the shoelace of the shoe of the user, the laceadjuster including (i) a body assembly having a first body member and asecond body member that is coupled to the first body member, the bodyassembly defining a cavity, and (ii) a lace end retainer that isconnected to the body assembly, the lace end retainer being configuredto selectively retain at least a portion of the shoelace, the laceadjuster being selectively movable between an unlocked configuration anda locked configuration, wherein the shoelace is adjustable relative tothe lace adjuster when the lace adjuster is in the unlockedconfiguration, and wherein the shoelace is resiliently retained by thelace adjuster and is inhibited from being adjusted relative to the laceadjuster when the lace adjuster is in the locked configuration; and afeedback assembly that is mechanically coupled to the lace adjuster, thefeedback assembly including a sensor assembly that is mechanicallycoupled to the lace adjuster, the sensor assembly including a firstsensor, a second sensor, a storage device and a transmitter that arepositioned within the cavity; wherein the first sensor is configured tosense a first performance characteristic of the user; wherein the secondsensor is a GPS sensor that is mechanically coupled to the laceadjuster, the GPS sensor being configured for providing locationalinformation of the user; wherein the storage device is configured tostore the first performance characteristic sensed by the first sensorand the locational information sensed by the GPS sensor; and wherein thetransmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit the first performancecharacteristic and the locational information that are stored within thestorage device to a remote device.